Package opener



June 24, 1941. H G DISBRQW 2,247,29fi

PACKAGE OPENER Filed Jan. 2'7, 1939 ITNESSES NVENTOR fa amziilvm Gr'innell Dis brow Patented June 24, 1941 or ies PACKAGE OPENER Hamilton Grinnell Disbrow, Madison, N. J., assignor to International Safety Razor Corporation, Bloomfield, N. 3., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 27, 1939, Serial No. 281,317

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved package opener, particularly to a package opener adapted to .be used in removing the top, bottom, or side panel of a package by cutting around the edges thereof.

It is an object of the above invention to provide be exposed to varying degrees or may be fully retracted and encased within the handle portion of the device.

Another object is the provision of an improved package opener adapted to use a single edge razor blade as the cutting implement; in which the blade may be conveniently inserted or replaced; and in which the razor blade, while being readily adjustable, is firmly held in any desired adjusted position.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved package opener of the above character in which the top, bottom, or side panels of the package can be readily removed without injuring the contents of the package.

In the accompanying drawing- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a package opener embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 2-2 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an end view partially in section showing the manner in which my improved package opener may be used to open a package; and

Fig. 5 is an end elevation showing the manner in which a razor blade may be inserted or removed.

My improved package opener comprises a guide head for guiding the device in opening a package, a handle portion which may be gripped by the operator, and a cutting implement adjustably mounted in the handle portion so as to project between the portions of the guide head when in use.

The guide head comprises a pair of diverging guide plates [9 and II of similar construction tapering in width from the trailing edge to the leading edge thereof and disposed at an angle to each other. In using my device, the respective guide plates are adapted to rest on adjacent panels of the package with the meeting edges thereof resting on the corner of the package which is to be severed. Since, in the average package, the top and bottom are disposed at right angles to the sides, I prefer to dispose the respective plates II] and l I at an angle of 90 degrees to each other, as shown. Each of the plates are preferably of lesser width at the leading edge than at the trailing edge so as to serve more or less as an indicator or an arrowhead to indicate to the operator the direction in which the device is to be shifted when in use.

The handle portion which is indicated generally at [2 comprises a pair of proximately positioned substantially parallel rectangular plates l4 and i5 which are preferably formed integral with the respective guide plates land I I. At their upper ends the guide plates are joined by a substantially cylindrical tubular portion it which is preferably formed integral with the respective plates. The tubular portion it serves as a comfortable hand rest for the operator and also serves as a spring hinge to facilitate the spreading of the plates l4 and I5 when it is desired to insert or remove a razor blade therefrom in the manner shown in Fig. 5. The handle portion is provided with guide, adjusting, and clearance slots for the cutting implement as will be later explained.

The cutting implement employed in my package opener preferably comprises a single edged razor blade as indicated at l'i consisting of a blade portion I8 made of suitable tool steel with a cutting edge formed along the lower end thereof and having a backing strip 19 suitably attached to the opposite edge thereof. The single edge razor blade illustrated and described herein is of one well-known conventional type and the blade portion thereof is provided with a central aperture as indicated at 28.

When assembled the blade is inserted between the two plates I l and i5 of the handle portion and is disposed at an angle as shown with one corner and the adjacent portion of the cutting edge projecting between the two guide plates Ii] and i i. To hold the blade at the proper position and so as to guide the adjustment thereof I provide each of the plates M and M with an angularly disposed guide slot 2| of suflicient width to accommodate the backing strip l9. As shown most clearly in Fig. 1 the slots 2| slant upwardly from the trailing edge towards the leading edge of the handle. Thus it will be seen that when the blade is inserted in the handle portion with the backing strip l9 disposed in the slots 2| and with the blade depending downwardly, the position of the razor can be adjusted so that the one corner and a portion of the cutting edge projects outwardly between the two guide plates and I I as shown. The slots 2| are of suflicient length so as to permit longitudinal adjustment of the razor from a position with a substantial portion of the blade exposed between the guide plates as shown in full lines in Fig. 2 to a position with the blade completely retracted and concealed by the handle portion as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. For this purpose the slots 2| are positioned near the bottom of the plates IA and J at one end and extend into the tubular portion IE at the opposite end.

So as to permit the razor to be completely retracted with the blade encased in the handle portion I provide a clearance slot 22 at the top of the tubular portion, the slot being large nou t wq m da he. ba kin SW 2 Q in the m n Show} t d 5 1 5. in F In rue; to we the blade in adjusted position I'provide adjusting slots 23 in the 'twoplates I4 andjlii. The adjusting slots are disposed beheath the fguide slots 2|, are parallel thereto, andrnaybe of "smaller size 'a's'shown. A small b'olt'fljextend's through the slots 23 and through the opening 120 formed in 'therazor blade and a material and may be made in one piece or of several pieces connected together. However, I prefer to form the device of a single sheet of metal such as steel fashioned into the shape shown. The razor blade illustrated is one conventional type of single edge blade having a blade portion'made of steel and a backing strip made of some suitable metal attached thereto.

It will be appreciated from the foregoing description of my invention that I have provided an improved package opener of simple construction which is easy to operate and will cause a mini rnum of ,dainage to the contents of the package and which employs as the cutting implement a razor blade, preferably a single edge blade having a backing strip.

It should be understood to course that modiq fi'catiohs ina'y bemade in the illustrated and described eembodiment of my invention without departing from the invention as set forth in the metallic plates integrally connected at their upreadily adjustable nut such the knurled nut 25 has threading engagement 'f In assembling my improved package opener the handle plates M and J5 are spread apart with the end anda'singmed'ged razor blade "of the type shown is inserted between the plates as show-11in Fig. 5 until the backi'ri'g'strip is disposed in the guide 's lotsf2'l The bo1t"24 isth'en inserted through 12116 810135 23 the aperture in the bl fi ijdpail d the nut 25 iS atta hd 'thl'etb. r3126! i S fl'lien to the desired DOSifioh t hE S CIeW 25 t lg'ht l'ld. I

In 'Fig. f4 I have illustrated the manner of iiemgmy paekage opene It i'splace'd o'vrone of -tl li-Z C(ilii e f's bf package with brie "guide pla e aisptea "on the top 'i 'an'el "and the other guide "p atefdisposd on afside panel and with the raz csr blade la pro r ding 'aiago'nany into the etrner ar'thepakage. The mstrumeat is then drawn fbiwarmy jin the direction for the 'riai row endsfo f the plates with the result that vth filtrate "Sfe vers th'e top from the i em rider of thepakage. The 'packag'e'o perier wedg d i opening packages made of card: ttara; pressed pater, "fiber, light wood and sim- 711ahiate "als anidiit ma be used net silly in the top panel but also in removing f' d T e tei g he ha i' s .i h Emi new w e v w -'r'iacka'g'e opener may be made of any desired 40 the 50 ment of the raz r per edges by means of a resilient tubular portion 'lvhi hfb'r ri -mac tbf f r a p t guide head rnp "sing tw "div ergingguide plates integrally connected to he lower edges of the remand a single edge wil b cking strip j' i' 'p se t e two illates ofith'e handle rtibri or th fcuttirig edge deend exposed at the central razor 'bla'deforni '35 p'ointbetw ehftiie uif e eyes when in operative which; ea bi "h ldin h razor blade'ih 'position'and providing for thea'd justrnent thereof comprising an aperture in the razor blade, fa, p'ai' "i angularly disposed slots fof tli e handle'portion, gh theap'e'rt re and said I, g the razor blaidealongthe'slots an for 'reta nlnfg it 'in adjjlsted position, and a "second pair of "angular'l'y disposed slots formed in th e respective plates of the handle portion and parallel to the first-m nt'io'ned pair of slots 'for faoc mrnod 'iirgfthe king strip 'of the razor blade 'said last'grnentioned 'pair of slots being of "sufficient "length-to permit or adjuste, ajr'i thetubul'ar'po'rtion of the handle'off pa'q open'er beiri'g'provided with'an opening at t topjhereof positioned in the line of projectionoi the secondmentioned pair bf slots jio'r iiic co'fnfnodating the I Y azo brade soas to permit *thecuttin'g edge ly""ncased in the handle when I 1 Pl; HAMILTON'GRINNEEL DISBROW. 

